BIG TIP for Newbies - pick what Kodi media player features are most important to you first, make a list.
Eg. 24p, 1080p only or 4K HDR, TV deinterlacing, DD/AC3, DTS, 7.1 HD Audio & which Apps. What TV and audio hardware do you currently have ?

Nearly all Kodi devices in this Q&A post will come with Kodi community, and proper seller and manufacturer after sales support.

$$$$ - Show me the Money !

Q. I'm a Newbie on a tight budget using a 1080p TV, I do not need HD Audio and have no audio/video receiver (AVR).
I just want to plug in and power up, and run Kodi with minimal fuss. I don't care about anything else ?

Q. What are the recommended best Bang for the Buck microSDHC cards ?
Do not base you decision on sequential speeds, Its Random 4K Read / Write performance that are most important for Kodi and LibreELEC speed.The Wirecutter - Best microSD Cards (click)

Q. Those AMLogic S9xx boxes look grossly underpowered for 4K HEVC(H265), should I be looking at Intel NUC's. ?
Only the very recent Intel Apollo/Kaby Lake and onwards series of NUCs will match the cheap AMLogic S9xx's for video playback (excluding 3D MVC).
The NUCs are more powerful for CPU software video decoding , but that's not really that relevant when Hardware decoding all video content using OSMC / LibreELEC Kodi Krypton using a S9xx ARM chipset.

There is no need to continually fiddle with Operating System or Kodi settings for optimal 1080p / 4K HDR picture outputs once initial device setup is complete.

Just be aware, if you are a ex Intel user wanting to use a really demanding Skin like Aeon MadNox with lightning fast interface fluidity and you need the highest picture quality CPU Software upscalers you might be disappointed with comparatively cheap AMLogic LE boxes.

Q. I need the most stable, proven, bullet proof, 1080p Kodi use only, boxes going around ?NOTE: No 8/10bit HEVC Hardware decoding with these devices so there will be limitations Software decoding and playing back 10bit content.
(10bit CPU Software - HEVC decoding generates significant amounts of chipset heat)

Android TV has a different Google Playstore vs the regular tablet Google Playstore. Android TV specific Apps cannot be installed from the regular tablet Google Playstore and there is a more limited Android TV Apps selection. But those ATV Apps are much easier to use, especially when used with included Wireless Voice remotes.

Regular tablet Playstore Android Apps usually do not work properly on Android TV devices.

Amazon devices have no Google Playstore, but instead have there own FireOS Apps store - with more Apps vs Android TV.

Apple TV 4/4K devices have no Google Playstore, but instead have there own tvOS Apps store - with more Apps vs Android TV.

Android TV boxes (think Shield, Mi Box, Jetstream 4k Ultra HD) use a simple remote and simple Apps designed for use on the TV screen.

Q. I have a new, expensive 4K TV, which devices give me the best upscaled picture quality ?

Basically you are trying to get a 4K TV to use it's superior, high quality , hardware picture upscalers when displaying all non 4K content.

Intel hardware has always been known for high quality picture upscaling. NVIDIA Hardware (inc. GPU cards) not so much...

Unless media player hardware can already do decent hardware picture upscaling (like the Apple TV 4K), you want a device that can do auto 720/1080p <<-->> 4K resolution switching those are....

Intel / AMD x86-64 computers.

All AMLogic S9xx devices running OSMC or LibreELEC / CoreELEC Kodi

Zidoo X9S and (and possibly HiMedia Q5/10 ?)

NVIDIA Shield running Kodi Leia, however virtually all other Apps and all non 4K user interfaces and elements will still have to deal with Poor picture upscaling (click) & there are other issues, details HERE (click)

The new 2018 - FireTV Stick 4K I believe also does auto resolution switching.

If you have older Dolby Digital 5.1 only capable audio receiver hardware, only specific hardware platforms such as the Apple TV's, and Amazon Fire TV's can do Netflix / Amazon / VUDU / iTunes - DD+ 5.1 to DD/AC3 5.1 audio downmixing to support DD only audio receivers.

The Apple TV's also do DD+ > multichannel LPCM decoding to support older HDMI connected AVR's.
The Apple TV 4/4K can also do Netflix App - auto Frame Rate Matching (click) - the only media player that can do so. Results are superb !

Only very specific devices, noted below can run the Amazon Prime Video App properly.

Intel / AMD x86-64 computers with GeForce GT 1030 or later Nvidia graphics card solution running Win10, using either dedicated Apps or a Web Browser. See HERE (click) for details.

Flash DIY Android TV ROM's:
(Can only get 1080p Netflix with a special, difficult to use - tablet / mouse version of Netflix OR use the Kodi Leia Netflix Addon)

MECOOL "Pro" series of devices (1080p SDR Netflix only)

ABOX A4 (1080p Netflix)

WeTek Hub & Play2** (1080p SDR Netflix)

MINIX U9-H (1080p SDR Netflix

Do NOT rely on DIY, Android TV ROM devices, if copy protected video streaming is a must have requirement now and into the future.
** devices with Strikes thru them due to uncertified Netflix device status and the Android TV Netflix App now Not working at all.

Finally - the Good News...

October (2018):

Amazon release the Best bang for the Buck cheap media player on the Market in the FireTV Stick 4K (click). Amazing value if you can put up with Amazon's FireOS interface promoting Amazon content all the time, with unwanted advertising.

It's back to the future with pre alpha Kodi v18 Leia available for the XBOX one (click)

Apple is always late to the party - BUT with a tvOS FW11.2 update for the Apple TV 4K, they are close to the Holy Grail of media players with auto frame rate and dynamic range matching (click) implemented system wide, and working with most Apps.
Hello smooth video playback for virtually every App.

AMLogic S905X, S905D and S912 recommendations added for 4K HDR Kodi video playback when running LibreELEC Kodi or OSMC Kodi Krypton, due to reliable 1080p / 4K refresh and resolution / colorspace switching that also includes HDR > SDR conversion and HD Audio passthrough inc. Atmos and DTS:X as part of the package.

September:

Apple announce the Apple TV 4K with HDR10 and Dolbyvision support, which will definitely cause a disturbance in the 4K home streamer media player market. Hopefully the Kodi fork - MrMC is updated to support Apple's new hardware.

HiMedia release a half decent (from all reports) Android Nougat 7.0 Firmware update for the Q5/10. Kodi Krypton still needs a Wrapper. Kodi is used only as a graphic front end for external media player software.

Moral of the story with this whole post. It pays to buy something popular - that gets (a) Kodi & device seller forum support and (b) seller and Chipset Manufacturer support for Firmware (especially Android) bug busting updates and upgrades.

Full 3D ISO, usually full disc rips (or, can also be movie-only extractions via tsMuxeR)

Full SBS or TAB, which retains the same full resolution as #4 and 5, but not via the more efficient MVC method. Full SBS/TAB is uncommon, are usually much larger filesize of MVC, and only certain HTPC's will be able to play properly

For all intents and purposes, we really only care about #2 to #5 above.

3D HSBS and HTAB videos can be played by almost any media player, even those not advertised to. Almost all 3D-capable displays will be able to join the two halves and render a complete 3D picture. But, it's half resolution of what's found in Blu-rays as you're just getting a total resolution of 960x1080 (with HSBS) or 1920×540 (with HTAB).

However, a full 3D Blu-ray is encoded using a technology called MVC (Multiview Video Coding). It has 2x full 1920x1080 frames for each eye. When decoded, then rendered as "frame packing," you will have a total resolution of 1920x2205, with an effective display resolution of 1920x1080 for each eye. 3D Blu-ray players can obviously handle this, but home theater enthusiasts here obviously want Kodi-capable media players that can play MVC MKV's and/or 3D ISO's with full MVC decoding and full frame-packed output, bitstreaming of full HD audio, and flawless playback. Demanding bunch aren't we?!

Kodi 3D media players fall into 5 camps:

[Linux] Decodes MVC in full and renders 3D in full, natively via Kodi: the one and only Raspberry Pi. Pi3 is recommended as 3D performs better with its extra horsepower.

[Windows] Decodes MVC in full and renders 3D in full, natively via Kodi MVC builds for Intel hardware. This has now become the ultimate 3D solution for many as it's native Kodi, with full HD audio bitstreaming, all framerates output perfectly, and with added benefit of Netflix/Amazon HD streaming via Windows app or web browser.

[Android] Decodes MVC in full and renders 3D in full, via an external player, with Kodi as just the front-end. HiMedia Q5/Q10 Pro works this way, as does previous-gen Q5/Q10 4K3D. There also are custom Kodi-integrated 3D players like Zidoo X6, HiMedia H8 Octa, but they suffer from key issues (like macroblocking, no 23.976) to really be taken seriously.

[Android] Decodes MVC in full, but renders 3D in half (so resulting quality will be similar to HSBS and HTAB). This uses Koying's MVC hack and works to varying degrees on AMLogic Sxxx boxes like WeTek Core, Minix U1, etc. and nVidia Shield TV.

[Android] VidOn solution (offered by Minix and Tronsmart). VidOn is a GPL and trademark infringer, and they rely on a proprietary solution for MVC 3D. Their 'Pro' payware Kodi fork provides Blu-ray menus, 3D and HD audio... however, 3D is similar to #4 (half-rez). My recommendation is to avoid VidOn altogether, not only because of GPL/trademark violations, but because their solution exhibits several key issues (no 23.976, and in fact all videos output at same resolution as UI, unstable, and basically unreliable).

2015-12-21, 03:52 (This post was last modified: 2019-03-24, 16:12 by wrxtasy. Edited 3 times in total.)

Media Player Firmware Updates & Watchlist:
(March 2019)

What is Firmware ?
It's a class of Software that basically provides low-level control of a devices hardware.
Serious bugs in this can cause all manner of headaches for the end user.

If users are going to spend decent $$$ on a media player, especially one that uses Apps. You want to ensure that there are regular, bug fixing Firmware updates from the device manufacturer / seller.
Also it is a VERY good idea to have a well frequented and active English, seller support forum for such device support.

The Gold Standard for Firmware & OS updates:

In No particular order...

The officially LibreELEC or OSMC supported devices. Firmware (& OS) testing is open to all Kodi users, a comprehensive testing system is in place before every major LE or OSMC Kodi update.
Any major bugs get quickly squashed with minor updates.
The support forums are very active with knowledgable developers & users. The LE / OSMC developers optimise the OS, Firmware and Kodi for each hardware device supported.
Results speak for themselves.

Apple TV 4/4K - they have a widespread, open to the general public, comprehensive Firmware testing system in place before every major tvOS Firmware update.
Any major bugs get quickly squashed with minor updates.
Apple have complete control over ATV 4(K) hardware, the OS and the Firmware and it shows in the polish of their end product.
Firmware support generally continues on for many years with Apple Hardware.
Perversely ATV's cannot direct install Kodi. The highly modded, Kodi Jarvis based, MrMC App is a great alternative, installed from the Apps store.

Android devices Firmware updates:

For Android TV devices - there is no contest - NVIDIA with their Shield provides the best ongoing support for 3.5 years now.
Whilst Firmware testing is not completely open to the public - NVIDIA do conduct closed group testing before major updates.
The Shield support forums are very active with knowledgable users.

Downsides are that every major Firmware and Google OS update - whilst bringing OS feature improvements also comes with additional annoying bugs.EDIT:Shield 7.2.2 FW (click) released that fixes a bunch of issues that were previously introduced with the new v4.9 Linux Kernel. Colorspace switching is finally implemented after many years wait.
Android Kodi devs use the Shield for Android TV - testing and development.

Xiaomi - Mi Box - Xiaomi might seem to have finally gotten the message after a very buggy July 2018 Oreo 8.0 Firmware update. Bugs are slowly being fixed after a LOT of bad press.
Beta Firmware testing is now conducted before Firmware updates, and FW release quality is noticeably better.
Such update are a lot slower now vs the previous really buggy Oreo FW releases.
FW support and feedback seems to be Facebook driven.

Ematic - Jetstream 4K Ultra HD - much better out of the box with Android TV Oreo 8.1 Firmware vs the buggy Oreo 8.1 seen on the Mi Box S.
I've not yet seen an English support forum.
It remains to be seen how ongoing Firmware support will be from this new entrant into the Android TV market.
Currently a great budget, Google Certified, Netflix approved device, for Android TV OS use available.
Pity it only sells in USA Walmart stores currently.

Amazon Hardware - Amazon modify the Android OS and call it FireOS and generally rely on 3rd parties to provide the Firmware, which they lightly modify and bug bust.
Overall results are fine for mainstream non demanding users, however recently even demanding users are getting extra Firmware features like auto Frame Rate Matching.
There are regular Firmware updates, they are not Android bleeding edge OS releases but focus more on stability.
Amazon Hardware updates seem to happen yearly at the moment.
Kodi cannot be directly installed from the App Store, but can be easily sideloaded.
The new really, impressively spec-ed - cheap 2018 FireTV Stick 4K has landed.

HiMedia Q5/Q10 Pro & Zidoo X9S - provide ongoing Firmware updates even if they are not Android bleeding edge releases.
I believe they are up to Android Nougat 7.1 releases.
Focussed on the Android 1080p 3D / UHD - Bluray Rips, HD audio market mainly.
Both have English support forums with passionate (3D) users.

AMLogic devices:

MINIX & WeTek - used to provide very good support for their hardware but this seems to finish after about the 2 year mark.
The root cause of this stems from AMLogic not providing ongoing Android Software Development support for the AML chipsets used in devices. The MINIX support forum seems to have mysteriously vanished about 3 months ago.No explanation given by MINIX since it's return.
When such support was provided it was great, providing active English support forums with regular Firmware updates.

Still great Android Kodi platforms even with old stable Firmware, because they do auto Android Kodi refresh switching, and...
Can do Android Kodi Leia DD/DD+ - 24p 1080p Netflix, using the new Kodi Leia Netflix Addon.
Android Kodi devs still use these devices for testing and development.
Excellent devices for LibreELEC / CoreELEC Kodi.

Other cheap AMLogic devices in general: ->>taking into account AMLogic seem to cycle their Chipsets used every 2 -3 years.
Firmware updates with these devices seem to halt at the 2 year period, which coincides with Firmware stability. Android Nougat 7.1.2 on these is pretty good for the price paid.
Firmware support mostly is with Over the Air updates and English support is left to the community driven Freaktab Forum (click).
Even then it's Buyer Beware as some devices Firmware is abandoned shortly after their Flashy Website - BS marketing launch.

Cheap, brand new AMLogic chipsets, generally have the buggiest Android Firmware on the market when first released.
This is what you get with the budget, Chinese mass produced end of the market.
AML S9xx series are dirt cheap devices for the excellent community driven 4K HDR LibreELEC / CoreELEC Kodi releases.

W.

(Archived)...

The Buyer Beware List !

The (July 2018) Oreo Firmware update for the Xiaomi Mi Box has introduced a number of serious bugs. Click HERE for the Mini Review

HDR problems along with various other issues using Intel Kaby Lake Hardware and Kodi.

.

Amazon FireTV hardware needs Kodi to be installed via sideloading using various means. Kodi does not Autoupdate. There is no Google Playstore with Amazon's FireOS. Amazon have a blocklist / blacklist of Kodi installer apps in their Firmware to make life difficult.

To access all the 1080p 3D, HDR, and HD Audio features on the Zidoo X9S and Himedia Q5/10 Pro devices, a wrapper must be used with Kodi that then utilises external media player software. There have been some issues with Subtitles and video playback resume points using this method. Non tech users may find themselves confused when using this device setup. Detailed self research needs to be done.

Most powerful Plug n Play media player = Apple TV 4K, which ironically has to use the MrMC App for Kodi type support.
Has DolbyVision support for various non Kodi streaming Apps - eg Netflix, iTunes, VUDU. Read the review for limitations.

Fastest 4K HDR + HD audio - Kodi only media player = MINIX U9, running CoreELEC Kodi Leia.
runner(s) up are the Vero4K+ and the AMLogic S912 devices with Gigabit Ethernet (1000M).
The newcomer in this category is the ODROID N2, may still be a wee bit buggy tho.

Best 24p 4K HDR Netflix media player (inc. DolbyVision & Atmos) = the Apple TV 4K.
It can do Netflix App - Frame Rate Matching, the only media player with that capability.Bang for the Buck:
Best 4K SDR/HDR + HD audio = any AMLogic S9xx device with Gigabit Ethernet running the AMLogic only focussed CoreELEC Kodi Leia.
The latest device in this category is the AMLogic S922X - ODROID N2 (click)
(S905 only chipset is SDR only)
Add a USB mini dongle receiver Wireless remote and you are good to go.

Best support = Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and the Vero4K+, also the AMLogic CoreELEC Kodi Leia devices.
Runner up is the Apple TV 4K
Avoid Intel, which has virtually no inbuilt CEC support, a Pulse8 HDMI CEC adapter would be needed.Important Notes:
AMLogic S912 devices are mentioned a few times in this post, but be aware these devices need stable Linux GPU drivers to be able to be used with Linux versions of Kodi v19 M onwards. Android Kodi will still continue to work.

Kodi v19 M will change it's Linux graphics rendering codebase and the current S912 Hybrid Linux/LE/CE GPU drivers will not be compatible.
There are open source GPU drivers currently under development, such work has already begun using Panfrost GPU drivers:

Don't make mistake of buying a cheap Kodi Android device based on fancy tech specs alone. Nor slick marketing that comes with the usual deceptive Newbie reviews. Its a Very very common mistake.

The reason Rockchip are not included on the list is because according to Koying, the lead Android Kodi developer here. Rockchip does not use the standard Android API (Application Programming Interface) and use custom Kodi code to even play A/V content.
This is not the way forward for the Open Source Kodi project, Android branch. Kodi is gradually being coded to operate primarily using the standard Android Media Codec (amc) interface. Libstagefright has already been given the chop in Kodi Jarvis.

Then there is the little matter of Rockchip being unwilling to work with the Kodi developers, even tho they have been given the opportunity to do so. No 24p video sync, and so it goes on.

AMLogic are the complete opposite with their open-ness and willingness to help.

hardly able to consider the minix and wetek "cost effective" amlogic devices considering they sell for 3 times the price of most amlogic devices.

Quote:AMLogic devices to keep an eye on would be the very recently released AMLogic S905 series like the new Lollipop equipped MINIX U1. Other S905's will be coming in 2016, from well known reputable manufacturers. Devices that are not rushed to market, like dirt cheap stuff from Asia with lots of Firmware bugs and NO support.

isnt that kind of a contradictory statement, the MINIX U1 was one of the first rushed to market s905 boxes and it was borky as can be when if came from the asian factory full of bugs.

(2015-12-21, 14:51)dukester Wrote: hardly able to consider the minix and wetek "cost effective" amlogic devices considering they sell for 3 times the price of most amlogic devices.

Show me a detailed comprehensive review, the likes of what hdmkv produces, testing ALL the features of these cheap S905's from a Knowledgable Kodi user first. I have yet to see any review with the detail required for Kodi users to make an intelligent informed choice. Even basic core Kodi feature testing is usually missing in very lightweight reviews.

Then also show me this for any device under consideration:

Quote:...the best Kodi devices have a decent, active, knowledgable, respected manufacturer device support forums. Manufacturer experience with previous successful, similarly specced Hardware devices also is very important

And I have not even started yet on C++ coders contributing to the Kodi and OpenELEC projects you don't even know about behind the scenes on GitHub.

Koying most of the time when coding for Kodi Android is like a one man band and needs all the help he can get.
Now please show me how these dirt cheap Asian AMLogic device manufacturers are contributing to the Kodi project ?

A bunch of them are actually parasitic leaches, that contribute sweet FA and distribute Banned Kodi add-ons.

Quote: the MINIX U1 was one of the first rushed to market s905 boxes and it was borky as can be when if came from the asian factory full of bugs.

Look its the same with any Android device, the big thing was they did not advertise shit that did not work and guess what, excellent support and one Firmware update a week since the device was released is very quickly squashing any problems.

WeTek had an annoying a 24p bug recently too. It took them 3 days to fix, and then they published that code, which will benefit other S812 AMLogic platforms. This is how you earn respect from the Kodi Open Source community. Such an example is found HERE

Sure you can by cheap Android gear that may work more or less the same as more expensive products if you like a bit of DIY.
BUT for Newbies you cannot base your judgement on price alone because you will run into Firmware problems, then who are you gonna call ?
Any device will not be cost effective at any price unless you can get serious bugs fixed promptly.
You can bet the talented guys that could actually help will look the other way as they frankly don't have the time or are employed by some other manufacturer. The Kodi devs. too will rarely get involved with Firmware issues.

(2015-12-27, 03:46)psysfaction Wrote: Sadly Atmos will not be possible with the Pi since it does not send the Metadata if it is decoded into PCM streams.

Yes - and I'm not sure there are :

a) Open Source Atmos decoders (so the Pi will treat it as 5.1 True HD?)
b) A standard to carry decoded 7.1.2 (and 7.1.4?) content over HDMI in PCM format

If you have Dolby Atmos and DTS:x content you must use HD Audio bitstreaming. AIUI Intel solutions that support HD Audio bitstreaming work OK with Dolby Atmos, but getting a 3D MVC capable box with HD Audio bitstreaming (without resorting to Windows/Android and external players) is not straightforward. You can get 3D MVC from a Pi 2 with HD Audio decoded (but not Atmos/DTS:x) and you can get 2D from an Intel solution (with HD Audio bitstreamed). Getting 3D with DTS:x or Dolby Atmos is currently tricky. You're probably best off with a Blu-ray player for this at the moment...

(2015-12-27, 03:46)psysfaction Wrote: Thank you for the good write up.

I would add a line in HD-Audio about Atmos and the soon to be released DTS:X.
For me this is one of the more exciting things that happened lately for home cinemas.

I have been using Atmos and it works well under Openelec with a Braswell Chip.

Sadly Atmos will not be possible with the Pi since it does not send the Metadata if it is decoded into PCM streams.

Added Psy. Cheers.

Also added $100 Android DRM Kodi media players section as Android Lollipop / Marshmallow has made quite a difference to Kodi usability on Android media player platforms lately. These Google Android ART OS runtime optimisations, combined with the Lollipop OS have made a big difference to what has come before.

I'm an 5.1 Audio / OpenELEC Kodi guy and I never thought I would end up using an Android Lollipop device as my daily media player. Even I'm surprised that I'm saying that.

Quick Links

About Kodi

Kodi is a free and open source media player application developed by the XBMC Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium.

Kodi is available for multiple operating-systems and hardware platforms, featuring a 10-foot user interface for use with televisions and remote controls. It allows users to play and view most videos, music, podcasts, and other digital media files from local and network storage media and the internet.